Eureka, CA: Members of Occupy Eureka and Peoples’ Action for Rights and Community, along with other concerned residents, are announcing today their intention to file the Eureka Fair Wage Initiative.

“WalMart has come to our community, against the will of the voters, to drive down wages and benefits for working people,” says Veteran for Peace, Don Swall. With this initiative the voters will have a chance to say “NO.” NO to outside corporations putting downward pressure on local wages. NO to the closing of locally owned businesses. NO to the blight that WalMart and other Big Box retailers bring to small towns across America.

The Eureka Fair Wage Initiative will require employers to pay a minimum of $12 an hour to all of their workers, with an exception for smaller businesses. The initiative is a simple, straightforward proposal to keep stingy companies from killing jobs in the community that pay a decent wage. It will keep more of those dollars here in Eureka California, rather then flying our money to Bentonville Arkansas.

Eureka residents said “NO” to WalMart at the ballot box before,but through secretive deals and backroom negotiations the City government and WalMart have undermined the will of the people. This leaves working class people no choice but to take matters out of the hands of politicians, more concerned with personal enrichment then the enrichment of the community, and take to the initiative process. The Initiative planning group invites persons interested in signature gathering or making other types of contributions to call (707)442-7465.